Base Matters and Clean Fun

We took a long walk off the island and into Guangzhou proper today. It’s a mess. There is construction everywhere in preparation for the Asian Games that will be held here. The method of demolition seems to be a bunch of guys in shorts and hard hats pulling buildings apart brick by brick. Another group of guys in shorts and hardhats use wheel barrows to haul debris to a supposedly designated area. Turns out there are a lot of areas which equal piles of junk, trash, sheet rock, and bricks everywhere. Most of the buildings are faced with rusty scaffolding and green tarps. Nice.

Eliza will not use a squatty potty (used in Asian countries by both sexes and resembling a urinal that fell off the wall). She pronounces it very deliberately “Squat-tee Pot-tee”. She actually is appropriately repulsed by the filth surrounding them. The level of disgust surrounding public restrooms, and even private ones (outside of the hotels we have stayed in) is really astounding. Not sure how this country avoids e-coli breakouts (or any other oral-fecal disease). Excuse my soap box.

I (Jane) went to a pharmacy today to attempt to purchase infant Tylenol or Motrin and a medication to help Finn with the diarrhea caused by the antibiotic. So, there I am trying to explain to the lovely pharmacy technician that my son has liquid poo and all she can tell me is how beautiful my face and eyes are. So I figure, she clearly isn’t understanding me….therefore I include hand gestures and and more simple words to help describe poor Finn’s situation. The technician continued to extol the beautiful nature of my eyes and brought my eyes to the attention of the other pharmacy employees. Needless to say, I left without any medication, but feeling very good about myself. The coveted anti-diarrhea herb was finally acquired at the hotel doctor’s office.
Finn has started using the sign for “more” and occasionally saying the word. He is particularly fond of French fries and apparently will work for food. He puts his right thumb into the palm of his left hand and says “mo”. Very cute. He ate better today and takes his medicine like a champ. I have never seen anything like it. He stands still and drinks the strange concoctions recommended and rarely fusses. One potion is a combination of a liquid cough suppressant, liquid mucous thinner, and a powdered antibiotic. The other is this powder the consistency of talc that is mixed with water and looks like mud. It is to counteract the adverse downstairs effects of the antibiotic (and let me tell you….adverse!). Amazing but effective.

The kids took a bath together tonight. It was a sweet time! They had fun together and we thoroughly enjoyed their antics. Finn loves the water and shows no fear. Eliza is very reserved and follows all rules of bath time etiquette including not splashing. Finn is completely and blissfully unaware of those particular rules.